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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · bark · vault · drill · branch · mine · rule · bulb

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rule — a law
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. drill — a practice
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rule — government
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — army training
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. game — a match
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com